Current News

LATEST MOVES ON LANARKSHIRE NEW TOWN

The next stage has begun in the development of the new town of Owenstown in South Lanarkshire.

As part the official planning process and following discussions between the Hometown Foundation's Owenstown project team and South Lanarkshire Council, the Council has issued a Scoping Request for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed new town.

This is a statutory requirement for any application of this scale and is the formal mechanism for interested parties to be consulted on what they feel the assessment should take into account. It has been sent to Government and Local Authority departments, Government Agencies, service providers, the local community councils and other relevant parties, who now have six weeks in which to respond.

There are two phases in the economic growth of the Owenstown project which are being assessed - at 500 jobs and homes and at 2,000 jobs and homes as well as the entire town proposal for 8,000 jobs and homes.

Once all consultations are received, the Council will then provide a Scoping Opinion to the Hometown Foundation which will identify areas of sensitivity to be taken into account and compiled into an Environmental Statement, which will be submitted as part of the Planning Application. The Environmental Impact Assessment is already under way and some work, particularly ecology, began more than a year ago. The rest of the work could take up to 12 months to complete and it is anticipated that a planning application will be lodged by early 2011.